Why is the Code Node slower on n8n Cloud compared to self-hosted?

When using the Code node on n8n Cloud, you might notice some delay compared to self‐hosted instances. This often isn’t a bug in your code but stems from differences in resource allocation and the sandboxed environment used on Cloud. In Cloud, extra measures (like sandboxing and shared resource management) can introduce some overhead, especially if your Code node is processing a large amount of data or performing computationally intensive work.

Here are a few pointers to consider:

• Data structure & resource usage:
  Make sure your Code node returns the expected data structure (an array of objects with a json property) to avoid any unintended overhead or extra error handling. You can review the expected format in the data structure documentation.

• Memory consumption:
  Since the Code node (and the older Function node) are known to be memory-heavy, processing a large JSON payload or many items may perform noticeably slower when Cloud resource limits come into play. Consider whether you can reduce the amount of data processed or break your work into smaller chunks.

• Sandbox limitations:
  Cloud environments run nodes in a sandbox for security reasons. This isolation can add slight delays compared to a self-hosted environment where you might have more dedicated resources.

If you continue to experience delays and believe they affect your workflow, you might want to check if:

• Any unnecessary computations can be offloaded or optimized.
• You are using any module imports or operations not supported in Cloud (for instance, Cloud versions do not support dynamic module imports via require for external modules).

For further troubleshooting, detailed logs and workflow analysis can help determine if there’s a specific part of your code or workflow causing extra processing time. If needed, reaching out on the community forum can also be a good way to see if others have encountered and resolved similar issues.

Hope this helps clarify the differences between the environments!